How impressionable are you?

First impressions have to be taken seriously because they are very difficult to lose. If the impression is negative, it will stay with us for a long time, making it very difficult to create a positive image. We make up ninety per cent of our minds about someone in the first twenty or thirty seconds of meeting them. Analysts claim that our reaction to others is judged thus:
* 58% how we look
* 35% how we sound
* 7% what we say
There are many things that can make you stand out. The way you walk, the way you stand, the way you talk, the way you introduce yourself. We are naturally attracted to people similar to ourselves; it is a bit like an animal recognising friend or foe by the colour of its fur and the smell of its skin. While we don’t usually go round sniffing each other, the subconscious is very powerful, and that is one reason so much money is spent on research into perfumes and colour, for instance. The way someone dresses, speaks, the way they walk, the way they eat all helps to build a picture of that person.

If you run your own company or manage a department in a large organisation, you have to make sure that your images match. So what about the image of a company itself? If you work in grotty, scruffy premises and dress as though you do, you are more likely to under perform than if you dress to a high standard. All those things help to consciously and sub-consciously project a positive image. Whether we like it or not, the way we look influences the way we are perceived and received by others. Police reports all describe people’s dress and size as these are the first things we notice. You have to decide what image you want to impress upon people and try to make sure that you achieve it. Whoever you are, wherever you are and whatever you are doing, you are creating an impression. In business, impression is playing an increasing part in whether you are successful in getting a job and whether you are recognised as being suitable to continue holding that position and the likelihood of promotion.

Here is recent clip from K24 on teaching business etiquette with yours truly